“That entire waste of a tree is about me?”
She grinned, pointing to the highlights of his life’s history in one paragraph. “Si, se?or Ricardo Delassantos—who, by the way, was born in a small town in Mexico to Delfina and Eduarte Delassantos—moved to America with his parents when he was just a year old. Broke his leg when he was eight after jumping off a swing in the park, attended Kendall High School, was voted best all-around athlete, and graduated with high honors.”
His face said he was impressed. “Absolutely true.”
“Went on to attend Princeton University, where Mr. Fancy-Schmancy worked his way through school by slinging hash at a local diner and working for a moving company. Graduated with a degree in engineering, loves vintage cars, dabbling in the stock market, and ice hockey. Some of his favorite things are: horror movies, hot dogs, chocolate fudge brownie ice cream, pears, animals of all kinds and the color red.”
Rick grinned, the deep grooves on either side of his face flashing as he reached over her arm and tapped the papers again. “All very accurate. Though, I waffle between red and blue.”
“Wait, it also says you like Brussels sprouts—as in, you eat them, willingly?”
He chuckled, leaning his arm on the back of the couch so close to her shoulders, she almost couldn’t think. “With relish. I mean, not actual relish, but you know. I dig a good Brussels sprout.”
Poppy made a gagging noise and wrinkled her nose. “Ick. Though, I admit, I love sardines.”
Now Rick made a gagging noise with an exaggerated shiver. “Fish in a can is disgusting.”
Laughing, she said, “So it also says you worked your way through Princeton? Who does that and doesn’t die from sleep deprivation?”
He winked, absently twisting a strand of her hair around his index finger. “This guy. I’m not saying it was easy, and I did get a partial scholarship, which helped, but it’s where I always wanted to go to college. So I made it a priority.”
“A man with a goal. I admire that.” And she did. Anyone who stuck out more schooling after graduation was a saint as far as she was concerned.
“You had a goal, too. A goal you’re still working toward.”
Poppy snorted, making a face. “That’s really generous of you, but I think my goal was a little less realistic than yours. Or a lot. The chances of me becoming a huge star have narrowed to nil at this point. Plus, look at me, then look at you. We can hardly compare the two. I’m thirty-four, and I have nothing. You’re thirty-five, and you have everything.” Everything.
He leaned back, the red shirt he wore gaping at the throat to reveal his smooth chest. “Everything is subjective. I have a lot of work to fill my days, but not a lot else.”
“You do work a lot. You could certainly use some balance. Like the occasional party or two.”
“I think Avis has that covered for the both of us,” he joked, and there was no malice to his words.
His words were fond, and that made her squirm. She’d bet Avis had it covered. Scumbag…
“So you met Avis at Princeton, right?”
“Yep. He was an exchange student from London. We hit it off from day one.”
“What? Like in polo class or something?”
Ugh. His loyalty to Avis troubled her deeply. Something in her wanted to scream, “He’s a fraud!” but she had no proof to back that up, and if she was to get to know Rick, she had to know and accept everyone in his life, too, until she had some kind of proof her intuition wasn’t just a fluky result of becoming a familiar.
Rick barked his laughter. “Not exactly. More like English Lit, and he was way better than I ever was at that class. Our professor was one tough dude, but Avis charmed the stodgy right out of him.”
“So was it some crazy coincidence you ended up finding another warlock at a place like Princeton?”
“I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a coincidence. The powers that be are good at putting our kind together to keep us with others who are like us.”
Like us. He’d said that with vague disdain. She needed to find out what his dislike of magic was about. What had happened to make him so bitter? She didn’t want to read about it, she wanted him to share. His hatred of magic was part of what made him tick, and she wanted to understand.
“So does Avis hate magic like you, too? Did you bond over that?”
“Nope. Avis is all about the magic. He’d love it if we were able to do more. But as you know, our female counterparts are the real warriors in our world.”
Poppy grinned harder. “Ah, and you say that without malice. I like it.”
“It’s how we’re raised from birth.”
“So Avis enjoys the use of his magic?”
“Almost to his detriment and it always involves a woman. Though, in his defense, when he came to Princeton, he’d been hurt pretty bad by a relationship.”